D. HRG_Report_1355 3rd St_Sep 2026 — Santa Monica City Council, October 27, 2026

HISTORICAL RESOURCE ASSESSMENT REPORT
1355 3RD STREET PROMENADE, SANTA MONICA
SEPTEMBER 2026
556 S Fair Oaks Avenue, Suite 101-514
Pasadena, CA 91105
prepared for
City of Santa Monica
City Planning Division
1685 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Cover Photo: 3rd Street and Santa Monica Boulevard, 1928 (Santa Monica Historical Society Museum)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................... 2

2.0 PROJECT SUMMARY .............................................................................................................. 4 PROJECT LOCATION .................................................................................................................................................. 4 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................................................................ 4

3.0 REGULATORY FRAMEWORK ................................................................................................ 7 HISTORICAL RESOURCES UNDER CEQA ......................................................................................................... 7 HISTORIC DESIGNATIONS ....................................................................................................................................... 7 Landmark and Historic District Ordinance of the City of Santa Monica ..................................................... 7

4.0 IDENTIFICATION OF HISTORICAL RESOURCES ................................................................. 9

5.0 DESCRIPTION OF HISTORICAL RESOURCES ..................................................................... 10 PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION ....................................................................................................................................... 10 ALTERATIONS ............................................................................................................................................................. 10 CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURES ................................................................................................................. 10

6.0 ANALYSIS OF POTENTIAL IMPACTS ................................................................................. 12 FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................................ 12 Significance Threshold ................................................................................................................................................ 12 The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation ........................................................................ 12 Downtown Digital Display District Ordinance ................................................................................................... 13 ANALYSIS OF POTENTIAL IMPACTS ............................................................................................................... 14 Downtown Digital Display District Ordinance Compliance .......................................................................... 14 CEQA Analysis ............................................................................................................................................................... 14

7.0 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 17

8.0 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 18 APPENDIX A ................................................................................................................................ 19 APPENDIX B ................................................................................................................................. 20 Historic Resources Group 1355 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica 2

1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
United XYZ LLC (the Applicant) proposes adding a digital display screen and metal blade sign (the Project) to the Junipher Building, a commercial building located at 1355 3rd Street Promenade/301 Santa Monica Boulevard in the City of Santa Monica (the Project Site). The Junipher Building, originally constructed in 1912 and expanded in 1922 and 1925, was designated a Santa Monica Landmark in 2014 and is therefore considered a “historical resource” as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)1 for the purpose of this report. The purpose of this report is to identify potential impacts to historical resources as defined by CEQA that may be caused by the Project.

Because the Junipher Building is a designated City Landmark, the Downtown Digital Display District Ordinance (Santa Monica Municipal Code Section 9.61.205) requires the City Manager to certify, after non-binding consultation with the Landmarks Commission at a duly noticed public hearing, that:
i. The digital display is installed in a manner that is reversible as defined by the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties; ii. The digital display will not materially alter the existing building such that its significance would be materially impaired; and
iii. All physical characteristics that convey the existing building’s significance will remain intact behind the digital display screen, as determined by a qualified historic preservation professional.2
Therefore, this report evaluates the Project against Standard 10 of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation to identify potential impacts to 1355 3rd Street Promenade. The evaluation includes a review of existing documentation on the property; observation of the site; and review of architectural drawings of the proposed alterations. Research, review, and analysis were performed by John LoCascio, AIA, Principal Architect, a qualified professional who meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards in Architecture and Historic Architecture. A resume is provided in Appendix B.

This report has determined that the proposed digital display will be installed in a manner that is reversible; will not materially alter the Junipher Building such that its significance would be materially impaired; and all physical characteristics that convey the Junipher Building’s significance will remain intact. The digital display will partially obscure some features at the southwest corner of the building at the third and fourth floors; however, the partially obscured features will remain intact behind the digital display screen, and the rest of the building’s character-defining features, which constitute the majority of its exterior historic fabric, will remain fully visible.

The metal blade sign is compatible in size, scale, proportion, and design with the Junipher Building; is located at the building’s southeast corner so will not damage or obscure character-1 California PRC, Section 21084.1. 2 City of Santa Monica Code of Ordinances, Section

9.61.205(H)(7)(b).

Historic Resources Group 1355 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica 3 defining features and materials; and is consistent with historic signage utilized at the Junipher Building during the period of significance, including previous blade signs.

Therefore, the Project complies with the Downtown Digital Display District Ordinance. It will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of 1355 3rd Street Promenade and will not have a significant effect on the environment as defined by CEQA.

Historic Resources Group 1355 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica 4

2.0 PROJECT SUMMARY
Project Location
The Project Site (AIN 4291-012-010) is located at the northeast corner of the intersection of 3rd Street Promenade and Santa Monica Boulevard in the City of Santa Monica. It is bounded by an adjacent commercial property to the north, a service alley (3rd Court) to the east, Santa Monica Boulevard to the south, and 3rd Street Promenade to the west. A location map is included in Figure 1, below.

FIGURE 1: LOCATION MAP
Project Site outlined in red
Project Description
The Project consists of a new digital display screen and metal blade sign. The 1,000-square-foot LED digital display screen will wrap the southwest corner of the Junipher Building at the third and fourth stories. The overall dimensions are approximately 55 feet wide by 19 feet high with a maximum 8-foot projection into the Santa Monica Boulevard right-of-way. The display screen has a minimalist design with a Champagne bronze finish. The screen will be mounted to the building at approximately 12 locations through the exterior wall; the historic glazed face brick at each attachment location will be carefully removed intact only to the extent necessary to accommodate the attachment, without damaging adjacent face brick. The removed face bricks will be stored for reinstallation should the screen be removed in the future.

Historic Resources Group 1355 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica 5 The blade sign will be mounted at the east edge of the south façade. It will be 3 feet wide by 19 feet 4 inches high, mounted with its bottom 25 feet above the adjacent sidewalk. The blade sign will be of painted metal with illuminated open channel letters. Renderings of the proposed digital display are provided in Figures 2 and 3; a rendering of the proposed blade sign is provided in Figure 4.

FIGURE 2: PROJECT RENDERING
View northeast from Santa Monica Boulevard. Orange Barrel Media Historic Resources Group 1355 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica 6 FIGURE 3: PROJECT RENDERING
View northwest from Santa Monica Boulevard. Orange Barrel Media FIGURE 4: BLADE SIGN RENDERING
View northeast on Santa Monica
Boulevard. Orange Barrel Media
Historic Resources Group 1355 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica 7

3.0 REGULATORY FRAMEWORK
Historical Resources Under CEQA
The California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) is the principal statute governing environmental review of projects occurring in the state and is codified in Public Resources Code (PRC) Section 21000 et seq. CEQA requires lead agencies to determine if a proposed project would have a significant effect on the environment, including significant effects on historical or unique archaeological resources. Under CEQA Section 21084.1, a project that may cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource is a project that may have a significant effect on the environment.

CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.5 recognizes that historical resources include: (1) resources listed in, or determined to be eligible by the State Historical Resources Commission, for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources; (2) resources included in a local register of historical resources, as defined in PRC Section 5020.1(k) or identified as significant in a historical resource survey meeting the requirements of PRC Section 5024.1(g); and (3) any objects, buildings, structures, sites, areas, places, records, or manuscripts which a lead agency determines to be historically significant or significant in the architectural, engineering, scientific, economic, agricultural, educational, social, political, military, or cultural annals of California by the lead agency, provided the lead agency’s determination is supported by substantial evidence in light of the whole record.

Historic Designations
Historical and cultural resources fall within the jurisdiction of several levels of government. The framework for the identification and, in certain instances, protection of cultural resources is established at the federal level, while the identification, documentation, and protection of such resources are often undertaken by state and local governments. As described below, the principal federal, State, and local laws governing and influencing the preservation of historical resources of national, State, regional, and local significance include:
 The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended;  The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (Secretary’s Standards);
 The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA);
 The California Register of Historical Resources (California Register);  The California Public Resources Code;
 The Landmark and Historic District Ordinance of the City of Santa Monica (Code of Ordinances Chapter 9.56, added by Ord. No. 2486CCS§§ 1, 2, adopted June 23, 2015).

LANDMARK AND HISTORIC DISTRICT ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA The Landmark and Historic District Ordinance was adopted to establish procedures and provide regulations to protect elements of the City’s cultural, social, economic, political and architectural history; safeguard the City’s historic, aesthetic, and cultural heritage; foster civic pride; protect and enhance the City’s aesthetic and historic attractions as a stimulus to business Historic Resources Group 1355 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica 8 and industry; and promote the use of Landmarks, Structures of Merit and Historic Districts for the education, pleasure and welfare of the City’s residents.

The Ordinance established a Landmarks Commission with the power to, among others, designate Structures of Merit, Landmarks and Landmark Parcels (9.56.060.A); and regulate and control the alteration, restoration, construction, removal, relocation or demolition of or to the same, or to a building or structure within a Historic District (9.56.060.C). The Landmarks Commission may approve the landmark designation of a structure, improvement, natural feature or an object if it finds that it meets one or more of the following criteria:

1. It exemplifies, symbolizes, or manifests elements of the cultural, social, economic, political or architectural history of the City.

2. It has aesthetic or artistic interest or value, or other noteworthy interest or value.

3. It is identified with historic personages or with important events in local, state or national history.

4. It embodies distinguishing architectural characteristics valuable to a study of a period, style, method of construction, or the use of indigenous materials or craftsmanship, or is a unique or rare example of an architectural design, detail or historical type valuable to such a study.

5. It is a significant or a representative example of the work or product of a notable builder, designer or architect.

6. It has a unique location, a singular physical characteristic, or is an established and familiar visual feature of a neighborhood, community or the City.

The Ordinance requires a certificate of appropriateness for any proposed alteration, restoration, construction, removal, relocation, or demolition of or to a Landmark (9.56.140) and requires the Landmarks Commission to use the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties to evaluate any such proposed alteration, restoration, or construction (9.56.140.G).

Historic Resources Group 1355 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica 9

4.0 IDENTIFICATION OF HISTORICAL RESOURCES
The Project Site is occupied by the Junipher Building, a four-story commercial building originally constructed in 1912 and expanded in 1922 and 1925. The property was designated a Santa Monica Landmark in 2014. It is significant under Criterion 1 as a visible manifestation of the evolving transition of the Central Business District from a residential to a thriving commercial center, and as a rare and relatively intact example of a well-executed classically inspired Beaux Arts building; under Criterion 2 for its decorative detailing and the originality of its classic elements; under Criterion 3 for its association with physician and real estate investor John S. Hunt, a community activist and one of the leaders of the early commercial development of the City; under Criterion 4 as a classically inspired Beaux Arts building type constructed early in the 20th century; under Criterion 5 as the work of master architect Albert C. Marin, who designed the expansions in 1922 and 1925; and under Criterion 6 for its location on the prominent corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and 3rd Street Promenade and its design, cladding, and distinctive decorative features.3 View west on Santa Monica Boulevard, 1936 (Dick Whittington Photography Collection, USC Digital Library) 3 City of Santa Monica, “Findings and Determination of the Landmarks Commission of the City of Santa Monica in the Matter of the Designation of a Landmark, Designation of a Commercial Building Located at 301 Santa Monica Boulevard (Junipher Building) as a City Landmark, 13LM-011,” October 13, 2014, 1-2.

Historic Resources Group 1355 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica 10

5.0 DESCRIPTION OF HISTORICAL RESOURCES
Physical Description
The Junipher Building at 1355 3rd Street Promenade occupies the entire parcel, with zero setback on all sides. It is a four-story building of steel frame construction and brick perimeter walls with a rectangular plan, simple massing, and symmetrical composition. It has a flat roof with parapets. The exterior walls on the two primary (west and south) façades are veneered in glazed face brick and architectural terracotta trim. The façades are articulated horizontally in the Classical manner, with a base, middle or “shaft,” and top or “capital;” and vertically into bays with simple piers at the ground floor and stylized pilasters above. The ground floor, which forms the base, has wide glazed storefronts between the piers and is topped with a continuous frieze and denticulated cornice. The bays of the second, third, and fourth floors have stacked rectangular double-hung metal sash windows in groupings of two, three, or four with mullions and spandrel panels veneered in glazed face brick. The top of the building is formed by a paneled frieze with circular vents that runs between the pilaster capitals, which are decorated with stylized swags and support an ornate terracotta architrave along the base of the parapet.

Alterations
The Junipher Building has undergone substantial alteration since its initial construction in 1912; the original three-story building was expanded with an addition to the east in 1922, then with the addition of a fourth floor in 1925. Both additions were designed by master architect Albert C. Martin and maintained the original Beaux Arts design, and are significant and character-defining. All storefronts and windows have been replaced, and canvas awnings have been added over the storefronts.

Character-defining Features
Every historic building is unique, with its own identity and its own distinctive character.

Character-defining features are those visual aspects and physical elements and materials, constructed or deposited during the property’s period of significance, that give the building its historic character and contribute to its historic integrity. Character-defining features should be considered in the planning and design of a project so that they are preserved to the maximum extent possible.

In general, retaining character-defining features retains the integrity of the historic property and thus maintains the property’s eligibility as an historical resource. Removal or alteration of a single feature does not necessarily impact the eligibility of an historical resource; significant impacts on an historical resource result from major change or from the cumulative effect of many incremental changes.

Character-defining features of the Junipher Building, as identified in the 2014 Designation, include:
 The building’s mass, scale, height, and footprint;
Historic Resources Group 1355 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica 11  The building’s base-shaft-capital composition;
 Symmetrical composition of west and south elevations;  Verticality of bays and pilasters;
 White glazed brick surface;
 Terra cotta stringcourse at top of storefronts and below parapet;  Fenestration pattern: double-hung window type, size, and shape (excluding aluminum window frames and glazing);
 Flat roof surface (behind perimeter parapet, not extending above the parapet, and exclusive of rooftop mechanical equipment);
 Decorative brick and terra cotta cornice line;
 Catenary hooks;
 Pilasters with stylized terra cotta garland at capital;  Decorative terra cotta;
 Ghosted signage on the north elevation; and
 Exposed red brick exterior on the north elevation.4
4 City of Santa Monica, 2-3.

Historic Resources Group 1355 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica 12

6.0 ANALYSIS OF POTENTIAL IMPACTS
Framework for Analysis

SIGNIFICANCE THRESHOLD
A significant effect under CEQA would occur if a project results in a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource as defined in CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.5(a).

Substantial adverse change is defined as “physical demolition, destruction, relocation, or alteration of the resource or its immediate surroundings such that the significance of a historical resource would be materially impaired.”5 According to CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.5(b)(2), the significance of a historical resource is materially impaired when a project demolishes or materially alters in an adverse manner those physical characteristics that:

A. Convey its historical significance and that justify its inclusion in, or eligibility for, inclusion in the California Register; or
B. Account for its inclusion in a local register of historical resources pursuant to PRC Section 5020.1(k) or its identification in a historical resources survey meeting the requirements of PRC Section 5024.1(g) Code, unless the public agency reviewing the effects of the project establishes by a preponderance of evidence that the resource is not historically or culturally significant; or
C. Convey its historical significance and that justify its eligibility for inclusion in the California Register as determined by a Lead Agency for purposes of CEQA.

THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR’S STANDARDS FOR REHABILITATION The relationship of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards to the CEQA process are discussed under CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.5(b)(3):

Generally, a project that follows the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring, and Reconstructing Historic Buildings or the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings” (1995), Weeks and Grimmer, shall be considered as mitigated to a level of less than a significant impact on the historical resource.

The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (“the Standards”) provide guidance for reviewing proposed projects that may affect historic resources. The Standards and associated guidelines address four distinct historic “treatments,” including: (1) preservation; (2) rehabilitation; (3) restoration; and (4) reconstruction. The specific Standards and guidelines associated with each of these possible treatments are provided on the National Park Service’s website regarding the treatment of historic resources.

The intent of the Standards is to assist the long-term preservation of a property’s significance through the preservation, rehabilitation, and maintenance of historic materials and features.

The Standards pertain to historic buildings of all materials, construction types, sizes, and occupancy and encompass the exterior and interior of the buildings. The Standards also 5 State CEQA Guidelines, Section 15064.5(b)(1).

Historic Resources Group 1355 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica 13 encompass related landscape features and the building’s site and environment, as well as attached, adjacent, or related new construction. The Standards for Rehabilitation (36 CFR 67) address the most prevalent treatment. “Rehabilitation” is defined as “the process of returning a property to a state of utility, through repair or alteration, which makes possible an efficient contemporary use while preserving those portions and features of the property which are significant to its historic, architectural, and cultural values.” As stated in the definition, the treatment “rehabilitation” assumes that at least some repair or alteration of the historic building will be needed in order to provide for an efficient contemporary use; however, these repairs and alterations must not damage or destroy materials, features or finishes that are important in defining the building’s historic character.

Rehabilitation Standard 10 addresses the necessity for reversibility of additions to a historic property: “New additions and adjacent or related new construction will be undertaken in such a manner that, if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired.” To that end, the Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings recommend constructing new additions to historic buildings in a manner that results in the least possible loss of historic materials so that character-defining features are not obscured, damaged, or destroyed.6

DOWNTOWN DIGITAL DISPLAY DISTRICT ORDINANCE
The Downtown Digital Display District Ordinance (Santa Monica Municipal Code Section

9.61.205) establishes regulations and permits a limited number of digital displays within designated locations in Downtown Santa Monica. The ordinance allows up to sixteen digital displays at designated corner locations along the Third Street Promenade and four digital displays at Santa Monica Place. For applications seeking to install a digital display on a landmark building, the ordinance requires the City Manager to certify, after non-binding consultation with the Landmarks Commission at a duly noticed public hearing, that:
i. The digital display is installed in a manner that is reversible as defined by the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties; ii. The digital display will not materially alter the existing building such that its significance would be materially impaired; and
iii. All physical characteristics that convey the existing building’s significance will remain intact behind the digital display screen, as determined by a qualified historic preservation professional.7
The Downtown Digital Display District Ordinance exempts installation of a digital display from the Certificate of Appropriateness requirement pursuant to the City’s Landmark Ordinance, Chapter 9.56, and/or Section 9.61.050.8
6 Kay D. Weeks and Anne E. Grimmer, The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties With Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring & Reconstructing Historic Buildings, revised by Anne E. Grimmer (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Technical Preservation Services, 2017), 156. 7 City of Santa Monica Code of Ordinances, Section

9.61.205(H)(7)(b).
8 City of Santa Monica Code of Ordinances, Section

9.61.205(H)(7)(c).

Historic Resources Group 1355 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica 14 Analysis of Potential Impacts

DOWNTOWN DIGITAL DISPLAY DISTRICT ORDINANCE COMPLIANCE
The Project consists of a new, 1,000-square-foot LED digital display screen wrapping the southwest corner of the Junipher Building at the third and fourth stories; and a blade sign at the east end of the south façade. The digital display screen will be installed in a manner that is reversible. The screen will be mounted to the building at approximately 12 locations through the exterior wall; the historic glazed face brick at each attachment location will be carefully removed intact only to the extent necessary to accommodate the attachments, without damaging adjacent face brick. The removed face bricks will be stored for reinstallation should the screen be removed in the future. No other features of the Junipher Building will be materially altered. Thus, if the digital display screen were to be removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the Junipher Building would be unimpaired.

The digital display will not materially alter the existing building such that its significance would be materially impaired, and all physical characteristics that convey the existing building’s significance will remain intact behind the digital display screen. The digital display screen will cover third- and fourth-floor windows and spandrels, and portions of pilasters and mullions, in two bays of the west façade and one bay of the south façade. The display screen will be offset from the face of the building; the partially obstructed windows, spandrels, pilasters and mullions will remain intact behind the display screen and partially visible from certain vantage points. The remaining bay on the west façade and seven bays on the south façade will remain unobstructed, and thus most of the Junipher Building’s character-defining features will remain intact and visible including its form and massing, tripartite articulation, symmetrical composition, glazed face brick veneer, pilasters, mullions, fenestration, stringcourses, cornices, and architectural terra cotta ornament.

The blade sign is consistent with historic precedents for signage on the Junipher Building throughout its period of significance. The proposed new blade sign is similar in size and design, and in the same location, a “KRESS” blade sign in 1936. There was also a blade sign at the building’s southwest corner in 1944. The proposed new blade sign is compatible with the historic building in size, scale, proportion, and design, and will not destroy or obscure any character-defining features.

Therefore, the Project complies with Standard 10 and the requirements of the Downtown Digital Display District Ordinance.

CEQA ANALYSIS
As discussed previously, a significant effect as defined by CEQA would occur if a project results in a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource. Substantial adverse change is defined as the physical demolition, destruction, relocation, or alteration of the resource or its immediate surroundings such that the significance of the resource would be materially impaired. The significance of a historical resource is materially impaired when a project demolishes or materially alters in an adverse manner those characteristics that convey its historical significance and justify its inclusion in, or eligibility for inclusion in, the California Register or that account for its inclusion in a local register.9 The Project will install a 1,000-square-foot LED digital display screen wrapping the southwest 9 CEQA Guidelines, § 15064.5(b)(2).

Historic Resources Group 1355 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica 15 corner of the Junipher Building at the third and fourth stories and will partially obscure portions of the building’s west and south façades. The Project will also install a new blade sign on the east end of the Junipher Building’s south façade. However, in order for these alterations to be considered a substantial adverse change, it must be shown that the integrity and/or significance of the Junipher Building would be materially impaired by the proposed alterations. A resource is not materially impaired unless it is altered in an adverse manner to the point that its physical characteristics fail to convey its historical significance.10 The ability of a historical resource to convey its historical significance is based on an analysis of the resource’s historic integrity. Integrity is defined as “the authenticity of a property’s historic identity, evidenced by the survival of physical characteristics that existed during the property’s historic period.”11 The National Park Service identifies seven aspects that, in various combinations, convey a property’s historic integrity. These seven aspects are location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. The Project is evaluated below against the seven aspects of integrity to determine if it will alter the Junipher Building in an adverse manner to the point that its physical characteristics fail to convey its historic significance.

The Project does not propose to relocate the Junipher Building or alter its physical environment. Therefore, the property will retain integrity of location and setting. As previously discussed, the digital display screen will partially obscure some windows and spandrels, and portions of mullions and pilasters, on the building’s west and south façades. However, the features will remain intact behind the display, which will be offset from the face of the building, and will be partially visible from certain vantage points. The Project will not affect the Junipher Building’s other distinctive features and materials including its form and massing, tripartite articulation, symmetrical composition, glazed face brick veneer, pilasters, mullions, fenestration, stringcourses, cornices, and architectural terra cotta ornament, which will remain intact and visible. The proposed new blade sign will be compatible in size, scale, and design; will be in the same location as a historic blade sign; and will not damage or obscure any character-defining features of the building. Therefore, the building will retain integrity of design, materials, and workmanship, and thus will continue to convey its Beaux Arts architectural style. Because the Junipher Building will retain integrity of location, design, setting, materials, and workmanship, it will continue to express the aesthetic and historic sense of an early 20th century commercial building in Santa Monica’s Central Business District. Therefore, it would also retain integrity of feeling and association.

According to National Park Service guidance, “to retain historic integrity a property will always possess several, and usually most, of the [seven] aspects” of integrity;12 and that in order to remain eligible for designation historic properties “must not only retain their essential physical features, but the features must be visible enough to convey their significance.”13 After completion of the Project, the Junipher Building will retain integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association, and will continue to convey its historic Beaux Arts architectural style. Although the Project will obscure some essential physical features, all of the affected features will remain intact and visible enough that, together with those features 10 CEQA Guidelines, § 15064.5(b)(1).
11 California PRC, § 5023.1(d).
12 National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation (Washington, D.C.: U. S.

Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1990; revised for internet 1995), 44.
13 National Register Bulletin 15, 46.

Historic Resources Group 1355 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica 16 unaffected by the Project, they will continue to convey the building’s historic significance and justify its designation as a local Landmark. Therefore, the Project will not materially impair the Junipher Building such that its physical characteristics fail to convey its historic significance and thus will not result in a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource.

Historic Resources Group 1355 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica 17

7.0 CONCLUSION
The Project proposes to install a new, 1,000-square-foot LED digital display screen wrapping the southwest corner of the Junipher Building located at 1355 3rd Street Promenade in the City of Santa Monica, and install a new blade sign at the building’s southeast corner. The building was designated a Santa Monica Landmark in 2014 and is therefore considered a “historical resource” as defined by CEQA for the purpose of this report.

For applications seeking to install a digital display on a landmark building, the Downtown Digital Display District Ordinance of the City of Santa Monica requires the City Manager to certify that the digital display is installed in a manner that is reversible; will not materially alter the existing building such that its significance would be materially impaired; and all physical characteristics that convey the existing building’s significance will remain intact behind the digital display screen.

This report has determined that the Project will be installed in a manner that is reversible; will not materially alter the Junipher Building such that its significance would be materially impaired; and all physical characteristics that convey the Junipher Building’s significance will remain intact. The digital display will partially obscure some features at the southwest corner of the building at the third and fourth floors; however, the partially obscured features will remain intact behind the digital display screen, and the rest of the building’s character-defining features which constitute the majority of its exterior historic fabric will remain fully visible, including its form and massing, tripartite articulation, symmetrical composition, glazed face brick veneer, pilasters, mullions, fenestration, stringcourses, cornices, and architectural terra cotta ornament. The proposed new blade sign will be compatible in size, scale, and design; will be in the same location as a historic blade sign; and will not damage or obscure any character-defining features of the building. The Junipher Building will retain integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association, and will continue to convey its historic Beaux Arts architectural style. If the digital display screen and/or the blade sign were to be removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the Junipher Building would be unimpaired. Therefore, the Project complies with Standard 10 of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and with the requirements of the Downtown Digital Display District Ordinance. It will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of 1355 3rd Street Promenade and will not have a significant effect on the environment as defined by CEQA.

Historic Resources Group 1355 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica 18

8.0 REFERENCES
City of Santa Monica. “Findings and Determination of the Landmarks Commission of the City of Santa Monica in
the Matter of the Designation of a Landmark,
Designation of a Commercial Building Located at 301
Santa Monica Boulevard (Junipher Building) as a City
Landmark, 13LM-011.” October 13, 2014.

Dick Whittington Photography Collection, USC Digital
Library.

Santa Monica History Museum Photo Archives.

Santa Monica Public Library. Santa Monica Image
Archives.

State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation. “California Office of Historic Preservation Technical
Assistance Series #6: California Register and National
Register: A Comparison.” Sacramento, CA: Office of
Historic Preservation, 2011.

U.S. Department of the Interior. National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for
Evaluation. Washington D.C.: National Park Service,
1997.

U.S. Department of the Interior. National Register Bulletin 16: How to Complete the National Register Registration
Form. Washington, D.C.: National Park Service, 1997.

Weeks, Kay D., and Anne E. Grimmer. The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic
Properties With Guidelines for Preserving,
Rehabilitating, Restoring & Reconstructing Historic
Buildings. Revised by Anne E. Grimmer. Washington,
D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park
Service, Technical Preservation Services, 2017.

Historic Resources Group 1355 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica 19

APPENDIX A

PROJECT EXHIBITS
Corner trees removal required
for viewshed
Tree A
Tree B
N
3RD ST PROMENADE

SANTA MONICA BLVD
SITE
© 2026 ORANGE BARREL MEDIA, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2026 ORANGE BARREL MEDIA, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1'-0"
25'-1"
0'-4" 1'-0"
24'-10"
0'-4"
18'-3"
18'-3"
EAST ELEVATION: 3RD STREET PROMENADE SOUTH ELEVATION: SANTA MONICA BOULEVARD PROPERTY LINE PROPERTY LINE

CURVED DIGITAL DISPLAY,
54’-9”W X 18’3”H (1,000 SF)
OWNER IDENTIFICATION, 5” HIGH

INTERNALLY ILLUMINATED LETTERS

STANDARD MEDIA OPERATOR IDENTIFICATION
SIGNAGE, 7”H INTERNALLY ILLUMINATED

LETTERS

EXISTING BUILDING

PROPERTY LINE
0’ 8’ 16’ 32’

CURVED DIGITAL DISPLAY,
54’-9”W X 18’3”H (1,000 SF)

EXISTING BUILDING

PROPERTY LINE
N

REPLACEMENT OF MISSING HISTORIC BLADE SIGN
September 2026
Attachment A: Historic Photographs
1355 Third Street Promenade
Santa Monica, CA
July 8, 2026

5. View northeast of portion of south elevation of subject property during a parade along Santa Monica Boulevard, note former City Hall in background (Santa Monica History Museum, 1930)

6. View west of east and south elevations of subject property from Santa Monica Boulevard, note Clock Tower Building in background (University of Southern California Digital Archive, 1936)

STREET TREE
N 0’ 8’ 16’ 32’

PLOT PLAN

BUILDING FACE
3'-2"
19'-4"

SIGN SPECIFICATIONS

BLADE SIGN ELEVATION
(West face shown, east face similar)

LETTER DETAIL
Sign connects back to building with 2-3 HSS square
tube outriggers. Outriggers penetrate masonry wall to
connect to vertical strongbacks behind the masonry
wall. Where penetrations occur, full face bricks shall be salvaged, crated, and stored onsite for future reinstallation.

Contractor shall core drill through common brick behind, Gaps between full bricks and outriggers will be infilled with patching mortar to match adjacent brick.

Painted metal sign panel, color to complement
tenant branding. Maximum sign cabinet depth
12”. Final fabrication to be developed with sign
fabricator and structural engineer.

Metal channel letter, painted to reflect
tenant branding
LED bulbs along return
Individual LED bulbs
Illuminated open channel letters
Minimum 2” clear between edge of sign and building face © 2026 ORANGE BARREL MEDIA, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 4

MOUNTED HEIGHTS

EAST FACE

WEST FACE

WEST FACE
THANK YOU [email protected]
OBM.com

GABY GHERMEZI
Development Director
[email protected]

CLAY COLLETT
Vice President, West Coast Development
[email protected]
Historic Resources Group 1355 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica 20

APPENDIX B

RESUMES OF AUTHORS/CONTRIBUTORS

JOHN LOCASCIO, AIA
Principal Architect
Experience Profile
Years of Experience: 32
California Architect license no: C24223
John LoCascio lives in Altadena, CA and has been with Historic Resources Group since 2011, involved in historic preservation since 2002, and a licensed, practicing architect since 1993.

John’s areas of focus at HRG include historic architecture and technology, building conservation, historic structure reports and federal historic rehabilitation tax credit projects. He provides technical assistance for construction documents; advises on compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and state regulatory/building code; provides construction monitoring; and prepares paint and materials sampling and analysis services.

John has worked on a wide variety of buildings and structures throughout the United States. He is currently advising on historic tax credit projects in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area and Washington State. In addition, John regularly provides historic architecture consultation for numerous Los Angeles United School District campus modernization projects.

Prior to joining HRG, John served as Executive Director of Claremont Heritage, which included reviewing environmental documents and advising the City of Claremont on planning and design issues. John also worked for 14 years as a project architect in private practice, specializing in custom residential projects.

John LoCascio meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards in Architecture and Historic Architecture. 556 S Fair Oaks Ave, Suite 101-514
Pasadena, CA 91105
Tel 626-793-2400
historicresourcesgroup.com
Selected Projects
28th Street YMCA Rehabilitation and Adaptive Reuse, Los Angeles Angelus Funeral Home Historic Tax Credit Project, Los Angeles Army & Navy YMCA/Harbor House Historic Tax Credit, San Pedro CBS Columbia Square Rehabilitation and Adaptive Reuse, Hollywood Climate Pledge Arena Historic Tax Credit Project, Seattle Grand Central Air Terminal Rehabilitation & Adaptive Reuse, Glendale Hangar One Rehabilitation, Moffett Federal Airfield, Mountain View Killefer School Rehabilitation and Adaptive Reuse, Orange Los Angeles International Airport Preservation Plan and HSRs Mayfair Hotel Historic Tax Credit Project, Los Angeles
Venice High School Comprehensive Modernization, Los Angeles Education
Master of Historic Preservation, University of Southern California Bachelor of Architecture, University of Southern California Honors and Awards
National Trust for Historic Preservation, Richard H. Driehaus Foundation National Preservation Award
Angelus Funeral Home/Paul Williams Family Apartments, 2022 California Preservation Foundation Preservation Design Awards Army & Navy YMCA/Harbor House, 2025
Sandi Simon Center for Dance, 2023
Angelus Funeral Home/Paul Williams Family Apartments, 2021 CBS Columbia Square, 2017
Grand Central Air Terminal, 2016
Los Angeles Conservancy Preservation Awards
Army & Navy YMCA/Harbor House, 2025
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, 2022
Angelus Funeral Home/Paul Williams Family Apartments, 2021 Grand Central Air Terminal, 2017
CBS Columbia Square, 2016
AIA Institute Honor Award
28th Street YMCA, 2015
Professional Affiliations
American Institute of Architects
556 S Fair Oaks Ave, Suite 101-514
Pasadena, CA 91105

Santa Monica City CouncilOctober 27, 2026

Santa Monica City Council
October 27, 2026